Sustainability allows for humans and the environment to co-exist in a way that is beneficial for all. When we allow ourselves to work with nature, while taking our human needs into account, we are able to live in an environment that has healthier air, less disease causing agents and lifestyle diseases, a thriving local economy, transportation for work and play, cleaner water, cleaner streets, and more active and engaged community members.

The first Hands on Sustainability 2025 Conference took place on October 14, 2017 at the Bridgestone America’s Technical Center, The conference was born out of a direct need in the City of Akron for greater understanding and implementation of environmentally beneficial methods and systems. The event was free and open-to-the public with goals to educate and inspire the public on sustainable methods in regards to solid waste management and zero waste practices.

Hands on Sustainability 2025 is part of an eight-year initiative in which a yearly conference, and other efforts, will be implemented with the City of Akron in regards to sustainability, focused on a specific topic each year. Other topics include Water Waste Management, Energy, Local Food, People & Neighborhoods, and Transportation. The idea of the conference was borrowed from the incredible efforts that have taken place in Cleveland through their successful project Sustainable Cleveland 2019. The conference is named in honor of the year 2025 being the 25th anniversary of the Cuyahoga Valley National Parks’ (CVNP) official recognition of the land as a national park. We see the CNVP as an incredible natural resource, inspiration, and driving force behind our initiatives. We hope to implement biomimicry, mimicking the natural world, of the Park System into the facilitation of our programs, and system designs that surround sustainability in the City of Akron.